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| Shadow of Destiny | |
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| Topic Started: Nov 30 2006, 11:34 PM (261 Views) | |
| Deleted User | Nov 30 2006, 11:34 PM Post #1 |
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Deleted User
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Has anybody played this game? I found it in the PS2 bin at my local EB for 4.99. I always knew it to be a unique title, though I confess I don't know much else about it. Just from thumbing through the instruction manual and such, its gameplay style reminds me of Indigo Prophecy, which I have played and enjoyed. Actually Indigo Prophecy was so well received by a few from my hall that it turned into a party game with all of us sitting around the TV yelling out what we thought should be the main character's decisions within the game. It worked out really well. Back on topic, based on what little bit I do know about Shadow of Destiny has led me to believe that it is basically a mature, dark atmosphered murder mystery probably with a large sprinkle of religious events and cults, much like the aforementioned Indigo Prophecy and possibly even comparable to Echo Night for PSX, another obscure title, excuse my run on sentence tendency. So, anybody actually play this game, have any opinions on it, can inform me what I should expect and what I should not expect from this title? Thanks
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| Runeslash | Dec 1 2006, 12:36 PM Post #2 |
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109th Star of Destiny
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I've played maybe three hours of it, and it seems like a decent little game. What I do know is that it's essentially a 3D PC-Adventure style game about a guy who has to travel through various time periods, righting wrongs... sorta like Quantum Leap maybe. Oh, and there's a time limit in each chapter. For some reason, the art style reminds me a lot of Castlevania. I guess that might not be a coincidence since Konami made this too. I do intend to finish it someday, but I've just had too many other games worth playing, and this is only one game on a massive backlog of mine. |
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| RiotGrrl | Dec 1 2006, 02:47 PM Post #3 |
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Errant Dreamer
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Shadow of Destiny was actually my first PS2 title. I haven't played it since then, but I'll try and post what I remember... The story is an intriguing little look at time travel and such. It controls fairly well, but it definitely has the words "first-gen PS2 title" written all over it. The voice acting is adequate enough. The time limit to each chapter can be a bit annoying. I hate timers as a whole - the whole forced rush of going through things fast creates tension, yes. But at the same time I focus less on the journey that the game takes me through, and more on the fact that I'll lose if the time runs out. Because of this, it's quite easy to miss a lot of the mini-sidequests that crop up in each of the individual chapters. And there are a lot. After completing the game twice, I looked through a walk-through, and I was shocked by how much I had missed on each of my playthroughs. Don't expect a long game at all, though. It's quite short, and can definitely be beaten in probably 5-6 hours. Definitely worth the price that you paid for it, though. |
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| Deleted User | Dec 1 2006, 04:00 PM Post #4 |
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Deleted User
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Oh no! I'm not a fan of in game timers either! I am more able to look past time limits that are integrated into a game's storyline for temporary periods such as escaping a collapsing building or things such as that, but for an entire game to be on a time limit just really turns me off. I am such a slow player, I have to walk to every corner of every room of every building within a game. And feeling rushed in this sense just defeats the purpose of my playing the game in the first place. However, that being said, I'm still going to give this game a test drive as soon as I have a free minute and see just how restricting the time limit is.
The fact that it is a shorter title actually appeals to me for some reason. It lends to multiple playthroughs being less of a time burden when, like RS said, there are so many other titles to play. And the fact that I'll actually only be paying about 1 dollar per hour, assuming it is a 6 hour game for 6 bucks, is no problem at all
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| sharc | Dec 1 2006, 05:07 PM Post #5 |
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wandering slacker
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always nice to see this one get some attention. i think i can sum it up by saying: shadow of destiny is interesting because it's a story that wouldn't be told as effectively if it were anything but a video game. the actual play-time is short, but this is in reality a twenty hour or more game if you really want to explore it. much of the game is based on prior knowledge, rewarding you for remembering the story and using your time-traveling ability to mess around with events. it sounds obnoxious, but it's one of the better implementations i've seen of this idea. i like it better than how the first silent hill did it, anyway. speaking of which, i remember reading that several members of the first silent hill's staff were involved with this game. siren also had some ideas like this, with unusual progression of time inside the game and complex interactions between seemingly unrelated events. |
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| Deleted User | Dec 1 2006, 06:26 PM Post #6 |
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Deleted User
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This is great news! Silent Hill is one of my favorite all time games, probably for subjective reasons based off nostalgia, but even objectively it is a solid title. Once I start playing Shadow of Destiny, I'll try to comment on any similarities between it and Silent Hill because I must have beaten SH 10-12 times back in the day. You mention Siren... I remember it catching my eye once or twice around its release, but I haven't seen it or given it any thought since then. Depending on my experience with Shadow of Destiny, I'll let you know if I can track down a copy of Siren. Should be cheap, can probably find it around one of the local gaming stores or worst case scenario hit up ebay. |
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| sharc | Dec 1 2006, 10:24 PM Post #7 |
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wandering slacker
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yeah, the news about some of the silent hill crew being involved in shadow of destiny was what actually got me interested in the game to begin with. siren was another game with ties to old silent hill staff - someone who worked on the first game who left afterwards, i think? you can see soem resembalance, i think, but it's sure nothing like shadow of destiny and generally more frustrating and obtuse than silent hill. did you ever get that katana? can't earn that shit to save my life, i can't. |
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| Deleted User | Dec 2 2006, 02:36 AM Post #8 |
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Deleted User
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Yea, I got the Katana. The katana is alright, it takes out doctors and nurses pretty efficiently, but I didn't like the close combat. I kept it more as a trophy instead of a weapon. I forget the exact criteria needed to have a chance at the Katana. If you really want to get the Katana, I remember a few FAQs on the boards having decent information on what to do, though IIRC, there was always some controversy over what exactly needed to be done in order for the game to allow you the Katana. I think it actually involves getting all other secret weapons first, such as [sp]the Rock Drill and Chainsaw and Hyperblaster.[/sp] Once I got all the secret weapons and did all the endings, I started trying for a speed run, but never got anything repsectable. It just isn't in me to lightspeed through any game. If I would have known SoD and SH shared some developing team members, I would have played it a long time ago. Speaking of which, I actually did play it for about an hour and a half tonight instead of Tales of the Abyss. I've completed 3/10 chapters and here are my initial thoughts: The game begins simply enough. Simple menus, simple graphics, solid controls. Actually I was worried that Eike's controls would have more like an Eva from Parasite Eve style of handling (clunky and disgustingly slow). Instead he moves about the world at a steady pace and Goldilocks would have loved his speed... not too fast, not too slow...it's juuuuust right! Voice acting left more to be desired. I am just waiting for a voice acting moment is meant to be super emotional, but is so poorly done, I can't help but shatter the mood by letting that giggle slip out. Atmosphere is that tangible eerie-ness, a la Silent Hill, Echo Night, Indigo Prophecy, and plenty of others. Still, I'm a sucker for it! And the game screams replay value in the complexity hidden in its simplest elements, just as you said, sharc. The time travel aspect is well done. I thought it would be more linear, but there are plenty of choices of when to time travel and why to time travel. Again, screams replayability. The actual exploration aspect reminds me a great deal of........ Shenmue! Single guy, walking around, talking to people, gathering clues for a murder, etc. etc. So, this heavy sense of familiarity would be a bad thing, except for the fact that this formula is just fun as hell for some reason, and I don't mind it being recycled. The alleged "puzzles" are so far basically non-existant. There are a few fetch quests where I have to go find an item to progress, but nothing puzzling. I have only finished the first 3 chapters, out of 10 I believe, so hopefully soon I will encounter something a bit more challenging. In this area, I have been disappointed thus far and that is troubling because exploration and puzzles ARE this game's gameplay. So for one of the two areas to be weak is not a good sign. Disregarding my puzzle complaints - so far, so good
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| Grey | Dec 2 2006, 08:57 AM Post #9 |
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I <3 GA#42
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I'm glad you are liking it enough man. I was worried when you got it that it would just sit on your shelf unplayed, but you jumped right into it. Oh, and you know if its similar to Shenmue I'm all over that shit! Shenmue series > heaven. |
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| sharc | Dec 2 2006, 12:28 PM Post #10 |
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wandering slacker
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well, the thing is, shadow of destiny's puzzles are more like "meta puzzles" since they can't be solved within a single game, but have to be unravled across several replays. you won't be able to solve them - or see that they exist at all for that matter - until you've at least played it once. like i said, the juggler in the square is a perfect example. you'll never think of what you need to do until your second playthrough, and then it will be staring you in the face. the first time through can be dull or frustrating at times. it's necessary to set the stage for you, so just keep it up - and remember what you see and learn. |
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| Deleted User | Dec 2 2006, 03:12 PM Post #11 |
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Deleted User
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Yea man, when I was playing I actually thought about the fact that you would probably love this game. When I come home over Xmas, I'll let you see what it is all about. Also, I just won a copy of Echo Night for PSX off of ebay! Playing this game got me to thinking about the golden days when I was madly in love with Silent Hill and Echo Night, and so I hit up ebay and found a copy supposedly in excellent condition, with manual, for 3.25 Buy It Now plus 3.25 shipping. Total of 6.50, couldn't pass it up. I haven't played any more of the game since I last posted, but I can definitely see what you are saying about the puzzles, sharc, and it makes sense. I was like what is going on?? where are my puzzles?! But the fact that the puzzles take multiple playthroughs to fully understand makes more sense. |
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| Justin | Dec 2 2006, 08:26 PM Post #12 |
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Teh RPG Master
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Hmm having never heard of this game but, hearing you guys praise it so much maybe I'll go looking through the bargin bin at the local Gamestop for it. It'll give me something to do I suppose since I'm slowly running out of things to play. Oi I just Metroid would hurry up and come out. I want to kill more space pirates damn it! V_V |
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| Grey | Dec 4 2006, 08:09 AM Post #13 |
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I <3 GA#42
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This game is great. Me and Icarus (sounds so weird calling you that...) got together and decided to play a little SoD and well, it was amazing. Now, the aspects of the game that I love are rather off beat and I'm really not looking past flaws on this one. However, the flaws are what make it THAT much better. First of all, the voice acting. WTF? This has to be some of the funniest voice acting I've heard in a long time, not to mention the dialogue doesn't help, but I find it insanely entertaining. Icarus and I spent about 3 hours (?) on the game and died laughing at how ridiculous Eike happens to be. I mean this guy is a pansy and quite awkward to boot. I'll never forget the first time he walks into the fortune teller's house and she says, 'I've been expecting you', then all of the sudden Eike lets out the wimpiest gasp and backs up like he's about the run with fear. Haha. It's too much fun making fun of him and the other people in the game. The game actually plays quite well though. I like the concept and it's pretty fun figuring out how to stop the stupidest deaths in video game history (okay, maybe I exaggerated). I mean honestly, who in the hell dies from [sp]the smallest knife in the world to the back or a weak pot falling on your head?[/sp] I can't wait to finish this one up over Xmas break! I'm afraid I enjoy the game for all the wrong reasons though... |
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| sharc | Dec 4 2006, 09:22 AM Post #14 |
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wandering slacker
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yeah, that voice acting...you have to bear in mind that, even in 2000, even for a launch title, the audio/visuals weren't that impressive. the town itself, however is still pretty nicely laid out for a game like this. i always wished i could explore the town more, wander into little stores and such. also inuyasha avatar wtf adblock'd |
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| Grey | Dec 4 2006, 09:32 AM Post #15 |
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I <3 GA#42
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lmao Yeah, that's another thing. Those tiny ass dogs standing in a wide alley stop Eike from progressing any further (at least in the beginning). Haha. I mean come on, they are like poodles that don't take up 1/5 of the path and Eike just comments, 'I guess this is as far as I go' and turns around. |
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| Deleted User | Dec 4 2006, 11:26 AM Post #16 |
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Deleted User
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Never hate on Inu! He is a Godsend for late night boredom in the dorm room! I had to flip a coin to decide between a less visually appealing Dr. House avatar vs. Inuyasha. Called it in the air and Inuyasha won (like always). I'm having an avatar crisis anyway, can't decide on what to go with. I was looking for a nice Yuri or Dante one, but couldn't find anything. But back to Shadow of Destiny, even looking past the voice acting and Eike's personality, it is a solid adventure game. It's just a joy to play and it is quick and simple. But, factoring in the voice acting, Eike's character, and a friend or two, the game becomes a classic. I don't know whether it was Eike being extra funny that night, or Grey and I just wanting to laugh, but Eike had us ROTFL. I personally love his character and I'm even interested to see where the story goes from Chapter 3-10. Never hate on Inuyasha! |
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| Pervan | Dec 4 2006, 03:20 PM Post #17 |
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Genetic Failure
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...*blocks Inuyasha* |
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| Deleted User | Dec 4 2006, 03:36 PM Post #18 |
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Deleted User
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.Well, Inuyasha, looks like its just me and you now buddy. We don't need them anyway. :ph43r: |
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| Justin | Dec 4 2006, 07:06 PM Post #19 |
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Teh RPG Master
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Hey at least that show is better than Naruto and it's crazy fans X_X In fact I haven't seen enough of Inuyasha to even judge it. |
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| sharc | Dec 4 2006, 10:55 PM Post #20 |
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wandering slacker
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roffles. use whatever avatar you, want man. if i don't wanna look at inuyasha's mug all the time that's what adblock is for. sweet, sweet adblock. 1up is almost readable now. speaking of echo night, i've had copies of it and echo night beyond for a while now but have yet to touch either. i'm not sure how muc hi wnat to play echo night, because the first time i ver saw it was when a friend was playing it. for some crazy reason, the audio tracks for the people were all skewed and spliced into nonsensical gibberish. the fact that it was in the middle of a rainstorm and that i suggezsted we put on the twin peaks soundtrack over the gmae made for an experience that is probably way creepier than the game really is. oooh. we should do a vaguely horror theme week! someone play d and juggernaut and martian chronicles with me! |
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| Deleted User | Dec 4 2006, 10:57 PM Post #21 |
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Deleted User
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Hey. I like Inuyasha. SURPRISE!
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| sharc | Dec 5 2006, 10:56 AM Post #22 |
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wandering slacker
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hey. mikallen's crapping on this topic. NOT REALLY A SURPRISE D: |
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| Grey | Dec 5 2006, 11:41 AM Post #23 |
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I <3 GA#42
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Yup, here we go again. |
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| Grey | Dec 5 2006, 11:43 AM Post #24 |
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I <3 GA#42
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Oh shit, and sharc, the Twin Peaks Soundtrack is golden! Nah, fuck golden, its all platinum. |
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| sharc | Dec 5 2006, 12:27 PM Post #25 |
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wandering slacker
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yeah, the garbled audio made it seem straight out of the black lodge, man. i hope twin peaks season 2 comes out on dvd soon. seriously though, anyone who has a stomach for myst-like adventure games, buy a copy of juggernaut and talk about it with me. nobody in the world has played it. |
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| RiotGrrl | Dec 5 2006, 12:32 PM Post #26 |
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Errant Dreamer
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I have a stomach for them... but I also get exceedingly stubborn when I play them. I absolutely refuse to look at a guide, and then I just sit, stuck and perplexed, for hours. And yes, there's pixel-hunting abound, but there's just something inside me that refuses to give up. Which is probably why I haven't progressed in the original Myst in over a year... |
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| Grey | Dec 5 2006, 01:37 PM Post #27 |
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I <3 GA#42
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*looks up Juggernaut* That looks pretty interesting. I want it. *starts 'the search'* |
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| sharc | Dec 5 2006, 02:17 PM Post #28 |
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wandering slacker
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yeah, probably not hard to find since nobody cares about it. be warned that it's pretty dumb. but it's dumb in interesting ways! that said, the secret ending was a real holy crap moment that made all the stupid parts worthwhile just for the sheer surprise of how it finished. |
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| Justin | Dec 5 2006, 03:56 PM Post #29 |
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Teh RPG Master
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"You're wasting my time, and yours! Go to the last book on the 3rd shelf. Put pattern [sp] 158 [/sp] into the fire place. There's no need to waste eh heheheh. Just get the Blue Page!" The fact that I remember that nearly word for word makes me sick. It's been nearly 9 years since I played that game now. X_x |
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| Grey | Dec 6 2006, 12:59 PM Post #30 |
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I <3 GA#42
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Well sharc, I found a copy of Juggernaut on eBay for around $15. I'm still not sure if I'll pick it up this close to Christmas as I've still got about 7 people to buy presents for. After the holiday season I plan on picking up Final Fantasy XII and I'll definitely look into finding a copy of Juggernaut. |
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| sharc | Dec 6 2006, 01:34 PM Post #31 |
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wandering slacker
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i guess you mean this auction? don't even bother, anyone charging you more than five bucks to ship a jewel case is a jerk (and five bucks is allowing them more than they really need to begin with). really, ebay stores are almost universally rip-off city. i wouldn't advise you to pay much more than ten bucks for this one, myself. it's mostly an interesting novelty since there are so few myst-like games on the ps1; the game is, erm, far from spectacular. if you really want a copy, then just let a filter do the work for you. set up a favorite search for, i dunno, "juggernaut (ps1, playstation, complete)" or something to that effect. then tag "located in: united states" (or wherever you live) and set a max price of whatever suits your fancy. tell it to give you emails for however long you feel like and then just check your mail every once in a while. if silvermermaidus puts any copies up, by the way, i wouldn't bite. she's apparently too busy with her auctions to leave legitimate buyers like myself positive feedback. >:| |
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